Week 1 football opens up the floodgates for all six conferences in Arizona, as Class 1A-3A schools dip back in for more action after kicking things off last week, while 4A-6A schools embark on their 2026 football voyages.
Salpointe Catholic and Marana kick off the full weekend slate on Thursday in the latest clash of the premier rivalry game between two of Tucson's most elite football programs.
On Friday, Sahuarita hosts Walden Grove in just the sixth meeting of the rival schools, a meeting which the entire town of Sahuarita is looking forward to.
Eight Week 1 matchups are local-on-local games between Southern Arizona schools.
All games start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
THURSDAY
6A/5A
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Salpointe’s head coach Pat Ryden gets watered down as the Lancers celebrate holding on for 20-18 win to open their season against Marana, Aug. 29, 2025, in Tucson.
Salpointe Catholic (0-0) at Marana (0-0)
Location:Â 12000 W. Emigh Road
Notable: Salpointe Catholic and Marana meet in the latest installment of Southern Arizona's hottest football rivalry on Thursday night. Adding to the temperature is a tumultuous month of August for the Tigers, which includes a resignation from head coach Phillip Steward and subsequent rescinding of that resignation 24 hours later, plus a devastating car crash that sidelined star senior receiver Sean Roebuck Jr. Comparatively, Salpointe lost its leading passer, receiver and rusher from last season to transfers and graduation.
Phoenix Trevor G. Browne (0-0) at Canyon del Oro (0-0)
Location: 25 W. Calle Concordia
Notable: CDO jumped up to 5A after a 14-0 season in 2023. Since then, the Dorados are 9-12 with one playoff appearance.
5A/4A
Nogales (0-0) at Amphitheater (0-0)
Location:Â 125 W. Yavapai Road
Notable: Nogales is a 5A school in both enrollment and football placement (1,766 students), while Amphi is 3A in enrollment and 4A in football placement (870 students).
2A
ALA - Anthem South (1-0) at Palo Verde (0-1)Â
Location: 1302 S. Avenida Vega
Notable: ALA - Anthem South has only been playing varsity football since 2023. Palo Verde played its varsity season in 1962. Both schools’ mascots are the Titans.
FRIDAY
5A
Cienega (0-0) at Sierra Vista Buena (0-0)
Location: 5225 E. Buena School Blvd., Sierra Vista
Notable: Buena elevated assistant Chris Determan to the head coach role this offseason after three seasons as an assistant. Before his time at Buena, Determan, one of the most experienced coaches in Southern AZ, coached at Benson from 2003-21 and reached two 2A state title games.
Tucson (0-0) at Mountain View (0-0)
Location: 3901 W. Linda Vista Blvd.
Notable: Both squads were gutted by graduation this past May, as the Badgers lost 24 seniors, while the Mountain Lions graduated 31.
Peoria Sunrise Mountain (0-0) at Desert View (0-0)
Location: 4101 E. Valencia Road
Notable: Desert View ran the table for a perfect 10-0 regular season in 2025, largely behind the efforts of standout running back Jaylee Abraham and a strong cast of young characters. Many of those players return this year, but Abraham opted to transfer to Peoria Centennial.
Casa Grande Vista Grande (0-0) at Sunnyside (0-0)
Location: 1725 E. Bilby Road
Notable: Sunnyside won four games to Vista Grande's three last season. The Blue Devils return nearly every starter on both sides of the ball with a stacked class of 20 seniors on a roster made up of just 39 players.
5A/4A
Catalina Foothills (0-0) at Ironwood Ridge (0-0)
Location: 2475 W. Naranja Drive
Notable: The 2025 matchup between these two schools was a 21-17 game to start the season. The Falcons secured the win and won two more games to Ironwood Ridge's lone win over Canyon del Oro.
Flowing Wells (0-0) at Douglas (0-0)
Location: 1550 Estrella Ave, Douglas
Notable: Flowing Wells hired alum Brian Brindley, who embarks on his maiden voyage as a head coach. The Caballeros went 7-3 last year, their best season since 2018.
4A
Mica Mountain (0-0) at San Tan Valley Poston Butte (0-0)
Location: 32357 N. Gantzel Road, San Tan Valley
Notable: Mica Mountain's quest for the 4A title three-peat begins south of Phoenix on Friday. Head coach Jay Campos led the Thunderbolts to their second consecutive state title last season, which kicked off with a 41-8 win over Poston Butte at home.
Empire (0-0) at Sahuaro (0-0)
Location: 545 N. Camino Seco
Notable: After coaching stops at Catalina and Catalina Foothills, Greg McKinstry II took over at Empire in the 2025 offseason as head coach.
Walden Grove's head coach Corey Noble has questions as his offensive unit comes off the field following a penalty call during a Red Wolves touchdown in the third quarter at Catalina Foothills on Oct. 17, 2025, in Tucson.
Walden Grove (0-0) at Sahuarita (0-0)
Location: 350 W. Sahuarita Road
Notable: Just 3.5 miles and an eight-minute drive separate the two high schools of Sahuarita. The two teams have met just five times in their history, with the Mustangs winning the first three matchups in the 2010s, while the Red Wolves have dominated the two games played in the 2020s. 2025-26 is the second time ever the schools have played in consecutive years.
Yuma (0-0) at Cholla (0-0)
Location: 2001 W Starr Pass Blvd
Notable: Yuma High's mascot is a Criminal, a story which dates back to the first half of the 20th century, when then Yuma Union High School beat Phoenix Union High School. Phoenix described the way Yuma played as "criminal." The Yuma students were also taking classes in the Yuma Territorial Prison after the school burned down in a fire. Phoenix players got wind of this information, and the combination of remarks made the nickname stick.
Buckeye Youngker (0-0) at Pueblo (0-0)
Location: 3500 S. 12th Ave
Notable: Buckeye Youngker, which began playing varsity football in 2009, made its first-ever playoff game appearance last season, a 40-0 first-round thrashing at the hands of ALA - West Foothills.
Rincon/University (0-0) at Yuma Cibola (0-0)
Location: 4100 W. 20th Street, Yuma
Notable: Cibola and Rincon/University both have well over 2,000 students enrolled at their respective schools, but compete at the 4A level in football. Cibola won six games last season under head coach Caleb Gillespie, its first winning season since 2021. The Rangers' last winning season was 2019 (6-4).
3A
Sabino's Anthony Dimas shows off the ball after beating Chandler Valley Christian's Austin Schuder to a deep throw for a first down in the second quarter of their game in Tucson on Aug. 21, 2026.
Sabino (0-1) at Gilbert Christian (1-0)
Location: 3632 E. Jasper Drive, Gilbert
Notable: Sabino returned eight defensive starters to the field this season, a factor which was became incredibly clear in the Sabercats' opener against Valley Christian. Sabino held last year's 3A runners-up to a single touchdown in a 7-0 loss.
ALA - Ironwood (0-1) at Pusch Ridge Christian (1-0)
Location: 6450 N. Camino Miraval
Notable: Pusch Ridge and ALA - Ironwood are both 3A schools in all sports, but the Warriors possess an enrollment of 910 students to the Lions’ 413. Pusch Ridge has won both of the two matchups between the schools.
2A
ALA - Sierra Vista (1-0) at Catalina (1-0)
Location: 3645 E. Pima St.
Notable: Catalina's Keith Edwards recorded his first win as head coach of the Trojans on Friday against Santa Rita with just 17 players.
Miami (0-1) at Santa Rita (0-1)
Location: 3951 S. Pantano Road
Notable: Santa Rita's losing streak is now at 25 games since 2021, but star alum and new head coach Cam Gaddis came agonizingly close to a win in his debut, falling to Catalina 28-20.
Morenci (0-1) at Tanque Verde (0-1)
Location: 4201 N. Melpomene Way
Notable: Tanque Verde junior Mason Sandoski was one of three running backs in Week 0 to record 100 yards or more on the ground. He had eight carries for exactly 100 yards and two touchdowns.
Mac is the Arizona Daily Star's Community Sports Reporter. Reach him via email at mfriday@tucson.com
Mac Friday
Community Sports Reporter
Rivalries take center stage in Week 1 of Tucson high school football
